Late initiation of antenatal care and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in Aleta Chuko district, SNNPR

Abstract

Background: Late initiation of ANC is a visiting of pregnant women to health facility after 16 weeks of gestational age for first time according to Ethiopian ministry of health context. It is related with poor outcomes of pregnancy as many studies revealed. Objective: To determine the magnitude of late initiation of antenatal care and associated factors among antenatal care attendees in Aleta Chuko district, Sidama Zone, SNNP, 2017. Method: A facility based cross-sectional study employed to collect data from pregnant women using face-to-face interview. Study population was pregnant women in selected health facility and sample size was 484. Six health centers and one primary hospital included. Descriptive statistics, Bivariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analysis employed for data analysis and tables, figures and bar graphs used to present data. Result: Sixty-five and seven percent pregnant women initiated their first ANC late. Pregnant women who had no formal education were 10.8 times late to initiate first ANC from secondary and above educational level, housewives were 3 times late to initiate first ANC than government employee, merchant and private business, pregnant women with gravidity two and above were 5 times late to initiate first ANC from gravidity one, those who had no history of abortion 3 times late to initiate first ANC from having abortion history and those who had low knowledge were 17 times late to initiate first ANC from high knowledge on ANC service. Conclusion and Recommendation: The magnitude of late initiation of ANC was found high and the possible factors for this were no formal education, being housewife, gravidity two and above , no history of abortion and low knowledge on ANC service. Aleta Chuko health bureau should mobilize health care provider and community to improve this problem, addressing the identified factors by community mobilization and promoting the importance of early starting for ANC are necessary.